FRISCO, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys, off to a 3-3 start in 2024, as a whole, but especially their offense, have been fighting uphill against the high bar of expectations they set. Those expectations come from both last season and across the last three seasons from 2021-2023, winning 12 games each of the last three years for the first time since the 1990s Super Bowl dynasty years.
Following the free agency departures of eight-time Pro Bowl left tackle Tyron Smith to the New York Jets, Pro Bowl center Tyler Biadasz to the Washington Commanders and running back Tony Pollard to the Tennessee Titans, owner and general manager Jerry Jones replaced those key contributors with either rookies (first-round pick offensive tackle Tyler Guyton and center Cooper Beebe) or inexperience (undrafted veteran running back Rico Dowdle). Jones also didn't beef up a wide receiver room that lacks explosive playmakers outside of 2023 All-Pro CeeDee Lamb. The results are as expected: worse than a 2023 in which Prescott led the league in passing touchdowns (36) and Lamb led the league in receptions (135).
| Cowboys offense since 2023 (NFL Ranks) | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
Points per game | 29.9 (1st) | 21.0 (20th) |
Total yards per game | 371.6 (5th) | 336.5 (12th) |
Drive score percentage (tate of drives that end in touchdown or field goal) | 50.6% (1st) | 42.2% (12th) |
Offensive expected points added/play | 0.10 (2nd) | -0.07 (23rd) |
However, Prescott took the bullet for the team's underwhelming offensive start on Thursday.
"I'd say I've played average, and average isn't good enough right now by any means," Prescott said Thursday. "It's never been good enough for me. I can't say that I've been happy or excited after any of these games that I've played. "I can play better. For sure. And I expect to. Preparing to. ... There are some things that I can obviously do better and then some of it, some things that I haven't done that I've done in the past. Looking forward just to activate, open up some things in the offense. Stay ahead of the chains, yeah get it going."
Some of those things could involve scrambling more to juice both the passing game and the running game, a post-bye week change Prescott incorporated a season ago. That helped Dallas go 8-3 after their Week 7 bye a year ago en route to a 12-5 finish.
| Dak Prescott NFL Ranks, 2023 vs. 2024 | 2023 | 2024* |
|---|---|---|
Completion Pct | 69.5% (2nd) | 63.4% (24th) |
| Pass Yards | 4,516 (3rd) | 1,602 (10th) |
Pass Yards/Att | 7.7 (6th) | 7.2 (17th) |
Pass TD | 36 (1st) | 8 (T-15th) |
TD-INT | 36-9 (2nd) | 8-6 (T-23rd) |
Passer Rating | 105.9 (2nd) | 85.5 (21st) |
| Expected Points Added/Play | 0.18 (2nd) | -0.09 (22nd) |
* Entering Week 8
Communication and consistency have been the two big themes stressed to the Cowboys by coach Mike McCarthy and his coaching staff since returning from their bye week, per Prescott. Both of those elements could help the Prescott-Lamb connection, one that has been out of sync after Lamb's contract holdout that lasted the entire offseason until Jones re-signed him to a four-year, $136 million extension in late August.
"Obviously you have to look at camp, and you can call it an excuse or whatever, but it just goes into right, as I said, being consistent," Prescott said. "Whether it be my read or his route, and then I say communication up front, but when you haven't had that time in camp, you've got to be able to communicate through things. ... Guys are owning every bit of it and looking forward to getting that going. I can just tell you now it's been better in these last couple of days for sure."
Another reason for the slower start is Lamb and the Dallas offense as whole adjusting to the more pronounced double teams No. 88 is getting sent his way.
"When you go put up a year like that as we did, teams aren't going to come out there and let you beat them with your fastball," Prescott said. "They're doing a great job of putting a lot of people to him. Doubling him. You look at that last game [vs. the Lions], and on third down, he was doubled every single time. Credit to them. That's where guys got to step up. Other guys got to win. They've got to seek that opportunity to go make those plays and give obviously myself with them and this whole offense more confidence in what they can do."
Prescott and backup quarterback Cooper Rush spent a couple days working out the team facility while also getting work in outside the facility another two days during the bye. Lamb was in attendance at those sessions, doing what he can to shake the rust off.
"We love a bye week, we take advantage of it," Lamb said Thursday. "Anything we feel like we missed out on together as a unit, as a duo, we hopped on it, just got right to work. ... We got on some routes and obviously timing is everything. So we needed that."
Cowboys Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman critiqued Lamb's route-running as well as the rest of the receiving calling the unit's routes "terrible." Lamb took the critique in stride.
"You got to be better overall," Lamb said. He then simply said "next question" when asked if he agreed with Aikman's assessment.
Help on the ground
Prescott and Lamb could also see a jump in productivity simply by their rushing offense improving upon being the league's worst through seven weeks. Their 77.2 rushing yards per game rank dead last in the league and are Dallas' worst through its first six games since 1989. That was the Cowboys' first season with Jones as owner and general manager, and the first season of Aikman's career.
"Continuity, and touches," McCarthy said Oct. 14 when asked how the run game could improve. "I think the move, we had Tyler Guyton go down [in Week 5 at the Steelers], so you make two moves for one player. Sometimes that has a bigger effect than you think it would. I think that's part of it. That's what we have to take a hard look at. We've got to see where Tyler Guyton is as far as his health, also with [guard] T.J. [Bass]. And give Tyler Smith some clarity. I think the fact that him and Zack [Martin] playing next to [center] Cooper [Beebe] every single day throughout the spring and more importantly camp, felt like our consistency was getting better. I thought the Pittsburgh game was a really good illustration, particularly in the second half when you saw the run game adjustments that were made, particularly in the tight inside zones. Now you make those moves. That's what we've got to take a hard look at. Maybe just go back to Tyler Guyton, to get more reps and make a decision there. I think we could definitely tighten that up."
| Dallas Cowboys Rush Offense This Season | NFL Rank | |
|---|---|---|
Rush Attempt/Game | 22.2 | 30th |
Rush Yards/Game | 77.2 | Last |
Rush Yards/Attempt | 3.5 | Last |
Yards Before Contact/Rush | 1.05 | 29th |
Yards After Contact/Rush | 2.44 | 31st |
| Tackles Avoided on Rushes | 20 | T-30th |
| First Downs/Rush | 22.6% | 25th |
Rush TD | 2 | Last |
| Pro Football Focus Run-Blocking Grade | 61.8 | 21st |
Prescott noted the offensive line communication in front of him has been much improved and more frequent after the bye week, something that could pay dividends. It's worth noting Guyton, the team's 2024 first-round pick who is their starting left tackle, and Beebe, a third-round pick in 2024 who is their starting center, are playing pivotal roles along the Cowboys offensive line and have been since Day 1.
"This week and from the jump, I can just tell, you [media members] being out there, it's a lot louder on the line of scrimmage," Prescott said. "Guys are more confident, that allows the player o start with a whole better vibe and confidence. Beginning overall, more confident coming out of the bye week. Overall more confident for sure."
The football world will find out if more reps for Prescott and Lamb together and an increased confidence and communication along the offensive line will be enough to overcome their bogeyman, the San Francisco 49ers, on "Sunday Night Football." The 49ers have won three in a row against the Cowboys for the first time since the 1994-1995 season with postseason victories in 2021 and 2022 plus their 42-10 beatdown of Dallas in Week 5 last season.